


Deadventure

by zombiemovies



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Movie Reference, Multi, Original Character(s), Post-Apocalypse, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Strangers to Lovers, Survival, Survival Horror, Teen Angst, Zombie, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26185180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiemovies/pseuds/zombiemovies
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Prolouge

“What’s it gonna be, Hodge?”, Arlo heard distantly, but everything leading up to this moment made this voice nothing but muffled tones. The scientist studied two vials; One in each hand with a studious expression before taking a few good, deep breaths. The man slicked back his shiny black hair after setting the glass containers on the counter and turned to his coworker. He seemed in a state of unease. He had been working on these vaccines for months non stop through insufferably long days and endless nights. 

“You got this, Hodge.” A man smiled, placing a firm hand on the nervous coworkers shoulder for reassurance. 

“Thanks, Leon." Arlo ran his fingers through his thick head of hair once more before pouring the contents of each vial into separate syringes in order to begin his self-indulgent trial and error process. He turned his webcam on and hurried back to his workspace, panic in his eyes as he began to explain his experiment. Leon left to go stand watch outside. 

“Virus cure test one." Arlo winced as he rolled up the sleeve of his button down shirt. His eyes met the camera with a look of distress as he continued.

"I was bit on the way to the office. One of the speedy fuckers got me before I even had the chance to run. I have been putting off this experiment until I was able to recruit someone already infected but fuck. Looks like that's me huh." His deep voice sounded raspy and defeated. Arlo sighed and let out a wry laugh.

"Now's as good a time as any right? I will vaccinate myself with this shot. If my theory is correct, the infection given to me via bite on my arm will stop spreading. There are two serums I have formulated. I am adamant that both have high potential of stopping the infection, but the two are nearly complete opposites in regards of their formula. It's really just a fucked game of chance here." Arlo began to get shaky before gaining a sense of urgency.

"Now I have to be quick because not only is my infection spreading but Leon and I are the only ones at this abandoned shithole of a lab anymore and I'm not too sure when the power is going to run out. This recording is also on a timer as  I have it set to send out to my daughter once it is done." Tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he paused, beginning to doubt.

"Altaira, if this video finds its way to you and the results of this experiment do not go as planned, I love you so very much pumpkin. Tell Mom and Andy that I love them as well. You are the brightest and most intelligent young woman I have ever had the honor of meeting. You are so strong. The world needs more women like you, especially this one. I hope you have been saving all the experiments and theories I have been logging to you over the years, most importantly the past few weeks. You are very smart. I need you to test out the second vile if this does not succeed. You are going to need to form a group to stay safe. Take your friends. It's a long ways from New Jersey to all the way here in Oregon. I'm going to need you to learn the process of crafting the second serum and stock up on it. If the second serum is a success make as much as possible and stock up. You may just have a chance at life in this world with the anecdote. But Hey, if this shit actually works, stay put with mom and Andy and I will come home with plenty of this first serum." Arlo lifted his shaky hands off his desk and reached for the first vaccination.

Tightening a tourniquet around the upper half of his arm, Arlo began to inject the shot into his bicep, holding back at the following pain being endured. Too much pain. Everything started hurting. Suddenly the scientist could no longer breathe. The room went black as everything began to warp. Arlo clasped his hands tightly around his neck. He fumbled with his steps as Leon rushed into the office to help his coworker after hearing the thump of his body, but it was too late. He laid lifeless on the cold laboratory floor. The second vial splattered next to him after being knocked over.

“Shit! Hodge! Hodge? Buddy! Hodge please you gotta get up, man. Arlo?” Leon cried out kneeling next to his partner. Exactly one minute later Arlo rose from his unconsciousness, causing Leon to lean back a little. 

“Arlo?” Leon whimpered as Arlo groaned, his voice low and strained.

“Hey, man. It's okay. It's me.” Leon breathed out unsteadily.

“Hnnnnngnngnn” Arlo growled. He slowly placed his hand on Leon's shoulder, almost as if to mimic his past reassurance. His eyes were glossy when he looked into Arlo's. They were not glossy. They were dry and white. No pupils, no color, nothing. Just the blank void of the whites of his eyes with stray bloodshot veins.

“Jesus, man.” Leon whispered, before Arlo's non void filled eyes shot wide open. Arlo had sunken his teeth into Leon's neck, ripping off flesh.

"Wh-haaa!" Leon began, voice breaking before collapsing onto the floor as Arlo presumed to be eating his partner. It did not take long before Leon had passed out from the pain. A ding from the computer went off and shut down as the harsh lights of the building started to flicker and dim before the facility went completely dark.

  



	2. Skull Stop Venture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group ends up having to find a way to break into a closed gas station.

**Some Months Ago:**

"Man I'm hungry." Neil whined while laying on the floor of his friend Altaira's room. It was nearing three in the morning as the boy tossed one of Altaira's many stuffed frogs back and forth with another boy named Mio. The rest of the group sprawled out on Altaira's bed and played a co-op cooking game. Neil sighed and turned his head towards Bug, the designated driver of the group. She was only the designated driver because the other four teens were too scared to get their licences. None of them were old or rebellious enough to drink. Although the group did often drive to their local skate park and get high out of their minds.

"Bug?" Neil called out to her. The girl heard nothing, she was in a deep trance of a surprisingly aggressive virtual cooking game. Altaira was baking her bread and Shawn was trying to salvage the egg they had dropped onto the floor. They repetitively whispered phrases such as, "Oh geez." and "I can fix it." as they carefully pulled out more eggs. Bug was not cooking as much as she was yelling at her opponents. 

"Altaira, your shit is burnt, why are you just standing there! If I'm going to win I want it to be a fair match!'" Bug yelled at her best friend knowing she herself had not even started cooking, she had just been hovering her avatar over her opponent's stations as an attempt to intimidate them.

"Bug shut up I have yet to see you make literally anything and my bread is still rising. You know we only have two minutes left right? Also Shawn has done nothing but manage to go through an entire case of eggs. Go bully them, I'm busy." Altaira sighed, pulling her overcooked bread out of the oven. Bug shoved her shoulder with her own before wildly flailing her avatar's arms at Altaira's.

"Rising my ass. I have a method! You know what they call me Taira? They call me Chef Bug. Don't worry about me. I'm really good at this game. Bone appled teeth. Y’know. Shawn is doing their best. I can't say the same about your sorry excuse for bread."

"Bon Apetìt, dumbass." Altaira started jamming random buttons on her controller in a desperate attempt to make something.

"That was the joke, dumber ass." The three of them started to frantically plate their dishes as a stuffed frog whacked Bug on the side of her face.

"Bug drive me to get food before I eat Altaira's frog collection." Neil threatened and sat up while Bug paused the game in frustration, blowing a tuft of hair out of her eyes. She grew less frustrated when she realized that her heated cooking match had made her hungry as well. 

"Enzo's?" Shawn suggested after gently setting their controller down. Enzo's was a family owned bakery run by a nice old man and his daughter that the group had gone to since they were kids. 

"Maybe we could get bread that isn't fucking charred like Altaira's. You're so lucky we didn't get to finish the game. I just know that British judge would have spit it out and said some shit like, 'Right, what's all this then? Not quite edible innit?'." Bug jokes, mocking the virtual judge's accent. Altaira wanted to laugh but instead acted as if she wasn't amused. She straightened her already proper posture and ignored Bug. She would never admit it, but as much as Bug got on her nerves she was her favorite person in the entire world. Bug did have a hobby of insulting her friends and lovingly bullying them, only to humble them though. Especially Altaira, she tended to give her the most of her attention, negative and angry or not.

"Enzo's sounds good." Neil said, answering Shawn's suggestion. He was now playing with Mio's hair, seeming to be very occupied. Mio's hair was unkempt and all black except for a strand of vibrant green in the front. Neil was twirling the green bit in his fingers as Mio scrolled through something on his phone. The action did not phase him much.

Neil was easily entertained by bright colors and he played with Mio's hair often. He did the same with Shawn's head of short blue curls and Altaira's neon orange bangs. He would dye his own hair but he would be far too distracted seeing it constantly in his field of vision, so he stuck with brown. Although Neil didn’t necessarily need colored hair to stand out. The boy had been in a car accident when he was young, took out one of his eyes and sent a straight lined horizontal scar across the right side of his face. He insisted on getting a glass eye with a red iris as his eyes were originally a deep blue, making his now multicolored eyes the color of 3D movie glasses.

"Can't. Enzo’s closed hours ago." Bug replied as she pointed to the clock on the tv. 

"I have the keys to Skull Stop, could we just run in and get something?" Shawn made a second suggestion as her friends nodded in confirmation before discussing their gas station orders. Skull Stop was the gas station that Bug and Shawn worked at over the weekends. 

"Hell yeah we can get Bogey Energy Drinks there!" Neil chanted "Bogeys!" a few times before Mio lazily swatted at him to cut it out.

"It's Three in the morning." Mio half smiled with his brows furrowed, still looking at his phone. Bug cracked her knuckles and messed with the various bandages on her hands before doing a delayed double take to what Shawn said.

"Wait Shawn they gave you a key and I didn't get one?" She asked offensively. 

"Remember the time they let you close and you called Neil over and you two broke a vending machine?"

"No you didn't tell it right, the power went out that same night and I swear Bug pissed her pants running around looking for a light switch. She knocked over like half an isle." Neil added. 

"I'm scared of the dark fuck okay? I still think I should have a key. I'm responsible. Do I not drive all your asses everywhere?" Bug complained.

"Not well?" Neil retorted, repressing a laugh. 

"Shut up Frog Boy. I kick your ass in skate boarding" A running bit of Bug's being calling Neil a random noun and adding fuck or boy at the end of it. Or occasionally just Fuckboy. Her favorite was "Goblin Fuck." When the two hang out outside from the group it's often spent making home skate videos of poor tricks that always result in both of them scraping their knees or getting cuts on their hands. They were more reckless than the others and tend to be much more accident prone.

"Good one, Bug." He raised his eyebrows before finally releasing the patch of Mio's hair he had been messing with. 

"So Skull Stop?" Altaira asked the rest of the group for a final answer. She always had to restate what the plan was and make a mental note that everyone was okay with it. She hated disappointing others but not as much as she hated not knowing exactly what was happening at all times. After getting the assurance that her friends were content, they all piled into Bug's car. Not easily, She owned a tiny black Volkswagen Beetle. Her friends found it funny that the car was not only small like Bug but was also nicknamed after an insect. Bug was not amused, so they named the car Matt instead to make her feel better. Shawn thought the car looked dull so they covered the car inside out with stickers. The interior had turf floorboards and glow in the dark stars stuck on the roof. They had a questionable vision but a well done execution.

Bug sat in the driver's seat as Altaira shotgunned. Altaira always shotgunned during school carpool as she was the first Bug would pick up in the route. The spot eventually became her assigned seat. However that did not stop Neil from calling shotgun every afternoon as school let out. It only ever resulted in the two of them racing down the halls and into the parking lot with Altaira always being the victor. She was the tallest of the group and Neil was on the shorter side of the spectrum compared to his friends. Her long legs overpowered him. As usual, Neil resorted to sitting in the back in between Mio and Shawn. The three spent the fifteen minute car ride throwing scenarios at each other. 

"What if instead of like how the world is now it was all just water like no air." Shawn began. 

"Like Water World?" Neil asked. 

"Water World?"

"Y'know like that one Sci fi movie from the nineties where global warming or some shit melted all the ice caps and most of the world was just water and this really cool dude adapted to it by growing gills and stuff by-Neil slow down." Mio intervened. Neil took a deep breath.

"Anyways in this scenario did the water also happen due to climate change or was it just always like that? Did someone start it like a villain or something on purpose? I bet Mio did it." Neil rambled. 

"Why and how could I manage to make the entire globe fill to the brim with water in this scenario? Also why am I the villain?" Mio questioned. Neil thought for a moment.

"You probably made a deal with the president of Super Soaker to empty out all of the Super Soakers to wreak havoc or like ensue chaos. I am also imagining you with an eye-patch. And a pirate accent. Shawn and I are the protagonists, we grow gills like the dude from Water World and break all of your air tanks. You have air tanks because you were too weak to grow gills. Shawn and I are built different." Neil seemed content with this conclusion.

"President of Super Soaker is a cool band name. I'll save it for when I convince you guys to start a band with me." Shawn smiled and continued the Water World scenario with Neil with intensive detail. Mio was amazed by how easily the two could converse about nonsense in great lengths. They weren't accomplishing anything with these scenarios, but Mio enjoyed listening to what Neil was able to pull out of his ass so effortlessly. 

Bug pulled into the empty Skull Stop parking lot. It was still dark out and the New Jersey fog filled the air. The lights of the gas station were off and the only source of light being from the yellow headlights of passing cars and lampposts nearby. The three in the back were still bickering while music from the radio could be heard distantly. Altaira put her arm around Bug's seat to turn behind her towards Shawn.

"Shawn, keys?" Altaira smiled. 

"Oh right." Shawn patted their pockets in search of the keys for a moment before guilt crept onto their face. 

"I think I, I lost the key." Shawn hesitated.

"Ha!" Bug mocked. Neil was visibly displeased. Mio watched carefully as the boy started counting on his fingers repetitively to control his racing mind.

"Shit!" Neil eventually let out, slamming his balled up fists on his knee.

"No, we're still getting Bogeys."

"Neil-" Altaira started.

"No, Taira, Think about it; Us. The Gang. Chuggin' sweet sweet Bogeys on a summer night. A cold one, but- so are the Bogeys. We can’t not get them.”

"Aren't Bogeys sour?" Altaira giggled. 

"I mean I guess, but you get how very important this is though?" 

"I just don't see how we are going to get in?"

"We'll figure it out." Neil said, one corner of his mouth upturned.

"I don't like that face. Stop. That fucking shit-eating-grin you have. I hate when you do that. What are you trying to do?" Mio asked sternly but laughed as Neil turned to face him.

"Look, I'm not suggesting we break in but we could scout the building for entrances?" Neil suggested. 

"That's what breaking in is, dipshit." Mio responded.

"Is that a no?" The group looked at the building and back at each other before collectively stepping out of the car. They slammed their doors shut with the exception of Shawn who shut theirs just weak enough to where they had to re-shut it. They all began to walk down a dark alley towards the back of the building, kicking at the gravel below their feet. Mio rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt and slung his arm across Altaira's shoulder letting it rest on her. He let out a puff of air. 

"Sorry I know how much you hate having fun," he coughed into his free hand, "I mean breaking the rules, by doing something really cool like breaking and entering a gas station with your friends at three in the morning." 

"Huh," Altaira scoffed, "So you are on Neil's side?" 

Mio half laughed. "He's dumb as rocks but like in a fun way, like Pop Rocks." He paused for a moment.

"Never tell him I said that though."

"Right." Altaira giggled. There was another pause.

"Breaking into a gas station could be fun. I mean I do kind of want a blue raspberry Bogey." She smiled and looked slightly up at him. They were both the tallest in the group but he had her by the closest bit.

"That's, possibly the worst flavor, Tair. Absolutely disgusting. Completely artificial. Literally nothing about blue raspberry is natural. But hey that's the spirit!" Mio grinned. 

Once the group got to the back of the building they gathered near the back door. Bug stood directly in front of it and contemplated for a second. The hood of her jacket on her head and her hands in her pockets, bouncing in place.

"What if I kick it." She said as more of a statement than a question.

"Absolutely not! You know how the building works! The alarm would go off immediately!" Shawn lectured.

"Okay you think of something then."

"Can we maybe split up and look around for more entrances before we result in kicking things?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah I think that's smart. Hey Mio, do you have a flashlight in your bag I can use?" Altaira requested.

"Here." Mio rummaged through his bag that he kept on him at all times. Nothing all that useful, mostly items like playing cards or miniature toys of things that are not usually small like refrigerators or furniture. He acquired a collection of them over time. He did have a regular sized flashlight that he pulled out and tossed over to her.

"Thanks. Bug, C'mon." Altaira ordered and started walking towards the side of the building.

"What?" She questioned, already walking with her anyways. Like Neil she struggled to keep pace with Altaira's long legs.

"Because you're scared of the dark, and I have the only flashlight." 

"Fair enough." Bug sniffled her rosy nose as the cool air bothered her.

"I'm, I'm not scared, though." she mumbled. A nearby bush rustled in the distance. Bug shot up and instinctively clinged onto Altaira, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. Altaira's body tensed at the initial contact but eventually eased up and accepted her arms. Her hand that gripped the flashlight loosened causing the light to shine in a small circle on the ground. 

"Right. You don’t need to be." Altaira looked down at Bug with softened eyes to reassure her that she was okay. Bug let go of Altaira and shook herself off. They begin inspecting their surroundings again.

"Wait, look." Altaira stopped in her tracks and motioned her arm out in front of Bug to stop her as well.

"There's a hole taped up with cardboard. Bet one of us could crawl through there."

"Not it." Bug shot up. Altaira looked down and grinned.

"But you're so small."

"Hey-" The two's phones buzzed in their pockets as Bug pulled hers out and checked it. 

"Group text from Neil. 'Says he wants us to meet back up."

"Guess we better head back then." Altaira rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet with her hands in her pockets.

"Yeah.” Bug felt the need to reassure that she was brave and not the coward she presented herself to be.

"I'm, I'm really not that scared of the dark, though." 

"Then I bet you wouldn't have a problem crawling through that hole." 

"Fuck off." She shoved her friend lightly and a comfortable silence lingered for a few seconds. Bug attempted to wrap her arm around Altaira's shoulder but her height difference made it difficult. She eventually gave up and dragged Altaira's hand out of her pocket to hold it.

"Huh?" Altaira's hand froze for a second before intertwining with Bugs. Altaira considered herself a closed off person who was not big on the idea of affection. She grew up receiving little to no attention from her mother and never fully learned that people are affectionate towards their loved ones. Bug never failed to catch her off guard.

"You got warm hands, I'm cold." Bug smiled. They approached the back of the building to find a serious Neil pacing back and forth with his pointer finger placed on his chin. Mio and Shawn resided next to each other on a big rock. 

"Alright, what have we gathered good fellows?" Neil questioned. Shawn leaned towards Mio.

"British?" Shawn whispered.

"Not really sure. All of Neil's accents tend to fuse into one confusing accent. But I mean probably."

"Altaira found a hole that's only a little boarded up with some cardboard." Bug spoke up.

"Hm, Neil pondered, "Okay. We can use that." Mio flicked a piece of gravel at him getting a stuck out tongue in response.

"How about: One of us crawls through the hole, turns the power on, types in the alarm code, and opens the front doors." Neil concluded. 

"That's what I was thinking. We just need the smallest of us to do it." Altaira agreed. The group unanimously turned their heads towards Shawn. They played with their nails for a second before looking up at them.

"Please no." 

"You are the one that lost the key." Bug ridiculed. 

"You're just bitter. Fine I'll do it." They all started towards the spot Altaira and Bug just were. Once the group gathered at the boarded up hole Shawn stared at it nervously for a moment with their arms crossed. 

"Just checking in this is definitely still breaking and entering huh?"

"The hole was already there Shawn I mean you're basically just entering." Mio smiled giving Shawn a gentle nudge.

"Got it. Bug, you wanna kick it down?" Without hesitation, Bug cracked her neck and winded up her body before she charged at the cardboard protected hole. The cardboard teared down fairly easily and with the force she used Bug struggled to regain balance on her feet. Once her body was stable again Altaira placed a hand on her shoulder to make sure she was alright. She took a few steps back and bowed.

"M'lord."

"M'lady." Shawn beamed at Bug. 

"Meet me at the front doors." With that Shawn crouched down and crawled through the hole. Once they made it to the other side they found themself in one of the back rooms. They dusted the dirt and grime off of their clothes and went to search for the power box. After flicking the switch for the lights on they entered the security code and opened the front doors. 

"You owe me." Shawn said as Neil laughed and rubbed the dirt off of their cheek and patted the top of their head. The group gathered their gas station orders and shoved them into Mio's bag. Once they finished they retreated to the empty parking lot in the front of the gas station and sat on a curb. Mio handed out the snacks and drinks to his friends. Neil popped off the top of his green apple flavored Bogey and took an audible sip out of it. His eyes glazed over in deep thought before speaking.

"Hey guys, I know I can be an ass. But I love all of you. You're my best friends." He says lightly shaking around his energy drink and looking at the carbonation bubbles.

"Aww." Shawn let out while they struggled to open their tightly sealed bag of chips.

"We love you too, Neil." Altaira ran her fingers through his hair a couple times messing it up.

"Love you, Asshole." Mio mumbled with a faint smile on his face. Neil smacked his lips together and made a worried expression. 

"Do you think it will be like this for a while?" he asked, seeming concerned.

"What do you mean?" Altaira turned her face from the cars passing by on the road to face him. 

"'Dunno. Just nights like this like everything going so well. I don't know I just, I don't want things to end? If that make sense?"

"You're a real idiot. If you don't enjoy what you have now and focus on being content where you are currently It's going to end sooner than you'd think." Mio said without looking at Neil.

"But for the record. I'm really happy too." Mio finally turned to Neil. Who was already watching him intently.

"It’s alright I doubt this will be the last time we commit a minor crime together." 


End file.
